Are We Here To Stay?
by arfmckm
Summary: Brooke and Paige are expelled from the team due to Abby and Kelly's fight in New York. Abby decides to replace all of the girls with a brand new team. Are they here to stay? DANCE MOMS :)
1. No Brooke and Paige?

**Chapter 1**

"Chlo, are you ready?" Chloe's mother, Christi, called from downstairs.

Chloe's mind was filled with annoyance upon hearing this and she closed her eyes in distress. The girl groaned, placing her pillow tight over her ears and tried to get some more sleep. Normally, she would be sound asleep by this time. However, Abby, her dance teacher, thought that the elite team was falling behind, so they were asked to rehearse in the mornings too. Apparently placing in the top three spots wasn't good enough for Abby. If spending their afternoons and evenings at the studio wasn't enough, now they also had to attend it for almost a complete day, instead of just enjoying their last days of summer vacation, like any other kid their age would be doing. They might as well get a salary off of it because recently dance had become more of a job than an extracurricular activity with all of this pressure.

Moving her pillow aside, Chloe's mind unavoidably drifted off to thoughts of all of her previous dance years. She tried to search for a reason why she had thrown herself into this nightmare. When Chloe took up dancing, she was only two years old. Perhaps that could be why she used to be excited to dress up in unimaginably elegant costumes at that time. It wasn't as exciting nowadays. Sometimes the themes were just repetitive or even boring. Chloe could even remember her very first day at the studio and how she couldn't help beaming proudly at her clicking tap shoes. That was also the day when she met someone who would become her best friend. Her name was Paige Mackenzie Hyland, and she was so ridiculously alike to Chloe that everyone would joke that they were the_ twinnies_. That day, the two blondes just walked up to each other and shyly linked arms. They didn't even talk; their arms seemed to fit perfectly together. Their friendship had blossomed quickly after that, and now their picture lay on Chloe's bedside table.

Chloe Lukasiak had gone through a lot of change since those days. Now, she dreaded her dance class. She hated it when the appointed hour got close, and she had to go to the stupid dance. She had felt this way for months. Enjoying dance had become quite impossible for her recently. Chloe had to keep a very tight schedule; arriving at four and retiring at ten while dancing nearly every hour. She didn't even take tap anymore, and ballet, her favorite style, had lost its appeal with time. Also, to top it all up, her dance teacher bullied her. It all started with a few comments about how she wasn't keeping up with the rest of the girls, which in her opinion wasn't even true. However, Abby's studio started to get very successful and the fame went right up to her head. She started treating some kids badly, and favoring others. Chloe had been on the lucky side for years, unlike her friend Paige, but lately Abby had even picked on her physical appearance. Abby was finally showing her true colors, and neither the girls nor the moms were too happy with it.

"Chloe!" came her mother's voice again. "If you don't hurry, you're going to be late!" She had been saying that to Chloe and her sister since Chloe was five. It almost seemed as if that was her motto. However, Chloe was never late.

Squeezing her eyes shut and opening them again, Chloe sighed, and mentally counted to ten before answering her mother

"I'm coming," she yelled, her words fading into the warm summer air.

Then she stood up from her blue, purple, and pink bed, and straightened out the wrinkles. She folded the edge of her comforter and fluffed her pillow. Finally arranging her pillow and bolster back in place, she walked over to her window and looked out over the backyard.

It was an early Monday morning in late August, and forty-six minutes from now, Abby would be assigning pyramid spots. Usually, Chloe was pretty confident that she would receive a good position. However, in the last dance competition, she had come in second place to Maddie. Chloe did win an Expressive Heart award, which she felt was even better than first place, but she kept this feeling to herself, knowing exactly what Abby would say: "Second is the biggest loser on the stage."

Snapping out of her trance, she started her daily pre-dance routine. She opened her drawers and picked out a blue and pink chevron patterned top and its matching booty shorts before laying them on her bed. Then she grabbed a black leotard, pink tights, tan jazz shoes, some turners, her arch stretcher, and pointe shoes, quickly packing them inside her dance bag. Once Chloe had slipped into her dancewear, she brushed her hair, pulling her thick blonde locks into a high bun, and securing it with bobby pins and a hair net. She slipped in a purple flower clip just towards the side of the bun, complimenting her outfit.

After washing her face, she applied a thin layer of mascara, concealer, and some lip-gloss. Then, walking back to her room, she quickly grabbed a navy knitted jersey and slipped on some boots. After picking her dance bag, she headed downstairs.

On one side of the living room, her little sister Clara was watching cartoons while she happily sucked on a lollipop. Sitting on the couch, her mother was impatiently scrolling through her Twitter feed.

"You're finally down," Christi looked up from her phone and smiled at her older daughter. "Chloe, don't you dare let that crazed woman belittle you," Christi added reassuringly as Chloe plopped down beside her on their couch. "You were amazing on Saturday, and you should be proud of yourself. I know I am." She hugged Chloe warmly. "I love you, my beautiful dancer."

Chloe always smiled at this, but sighed heavily nonetheless. She'd been hearing that for too long now and nothing had changed. Quite honestly, Chloe couldn't even remember the last time her teacher had given her positive feedback on anything. She couldn't even remember the last time she had a genuine smile that actually meant something.

"Chloe," Christi continued, catching her daughter's attention, "Listen to me. I'm sorry that you feel so unhappy. I know you don't want to go to dance jail. I don't either, but you have to get ready." She cupped her daughter's face in her hands, making her gaze directly into her deep chestnut eyes. "Look, you know that Abby is never going to treat you fairly, no matter how great a dancer you are, but we also know you are a better person than that woman _ever_ will be. Don't let her bring you down."

Chloe bit her lip. Her mother was certainly right about at least one thing: Abby was a biased teacher who shamelessly played favorites. Unfortunately, her opinion mattered, because Abby Lee Miller made stars and if she didn't like Chloe, then she would be doomed in the business. This meant she had to prove that she was a good dancer, that she _could_ be in first, and that she had real potential. There was no alternative. Otherwise, Chloe would have her head handed to her on a silver platter.

After listening to her mother's pep talk, she checked one last time to make sure all her things were in her dance bag. She scooped it up and slung it over her shoulder before finally exiting their house.

The morning sun rose over the horizon as magnolia white clouds dotted the azure blue sky. A smile graced Chloe's lips as the wind ruffled her messy bun. Once she had reached the car, Chloe climbed into the front seat of her mother's SUV. Shutting the door and pulling out her phone, she fired off a text to Maddie, one of her teammates:

_Heading 2 the studio. U coming?_

Her mother pulled out of the driveway as Chloe slid the seat belt around her waist. In a few seconds, she got a reply:

_Of course! I'm already here warming up. C u soon :)_

Angrily, Chloe dug her nails into her palm. She loved Maddie. Everyone did. But couldn't she be absent for _one day_? Why did she always have to be early and ready while the other girls were still tripping over their own feet?

About fifteen minutes later, Chloe and Christi pulled into the parking lot of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Chloe hopped out and immediately stumbled over the untied laces of her right boot, but kept on her feet and sprinted into the building. As she entered, she slowed to a brisk walk. She quickly waved at Gianna, who was sitting at the front desk, smiling as sweetly as always, and then walked into the dancer's den.

"Hey, guys!" She pasted on a huge grin and hugged Maddie. "You look amazing! You too, Kendall. Love that skirt, Nia! And that shirt looks great on you, Kenzie." She smiled at Maddie's little sister, who was wearing a floral tee that said 'Found my bae'.

Then something clicked. Brooke and Paige were nowhere to be seen.

It was no wonder what had happened, not after Abby and Kelly's brawl. At their last competition, the girls' mother and Abby had gotten into a fight, splashing drinks, pulling their hair, and even throwing punches. It was not a surprise that Brooke and Paige were gone, after what their mother did.

"Girls, let's go!" Abby's voice cut through Chloe's thoughts. "Is there something going on out there? No? Move it!"

No answers were needed. The submission on the girls' faces was enough for the instructor to understand she had made herself clear. Then she walked back to the adjoined room, knowing the girls would be following right behind her.

Usually, the team raced to the studio, but today they dragged their feet and sucked in their cheeks. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, and no one wanted to be the first to be bombarded by Abby.

"I told you all," Abby announced clearly, the moment Nia's second foot entered the room, "that the face of the Abby Lee Dance Company is changing, _drastically_. I'm sure you're all wondering about the pyramid." She cleared her throat. "First, I have an announcement: Brooke and Paige Hyland are no longer members of this team. I didn't want them gone, and I certainly wasn't planning on replacing them. Unfortunately, their own mother took care of expelling them from this group." Abby coughed again, shaking her head.

The group of girls all wore different expressions but the root emotion was all the same; they felt loss and, from that loss, anxiety. The team wasn't complete without the Hylands. They were a very important part of it, and without them, the group dynamic would never be the same.

"So," Abby decreed, pointing over at the covered headshots on the mirror. They were placed in the same pyramidal disposition they had followed for years, yet there were only five pictures now. Then, Abby peeled off the paper covering the last headshot in the bottom. "On the bottom, we have Nia. You made an obvious mistake in the group routine. After your grand jeté, you landed out of line, so that Mackenzie missed her cue to move. We went down like dominoes."

Nia inhaled deeply, her facial expression screaming shame, and nodded. Only Abby could make her feel this way.

"Also on the bottom is Kendall. You were good, hon, but I'm waiting for you to be _great_. Did you really use your face and claw your way into the heart of every single judge on that panel? Absolutely not."

Kendall searched for Abby's eyes hesitantly and when she met them, she halfheartedly faked a smile. Then, they traveled down to the sprung floor. Chloe could only hope she'd be placed higher on the dreaded pyramid.

"Lastly on the bottom is Chloe. You lost to Maddie, and you were barely mediocre in the group dance. If your mother was honest with you like she used to be, you'd improve much more." Abby's eyes were cold as she uttered those words.

Chloe could feel the venom dripping from them, but knew better than to react, and decided to shrug it off. Christi grimaced as she gave Abby an exasperated eye roll.

"Moving up on the ladder is Mackenzie. You were gorgeous, and your lines were flawless. The missed cue wasn't your fault, and you pulled it back together as best as you possibly could."

Mackenzie nodded. Her mother Melissa continued to gaze innocently at Abby, knowing that Maddie, her other perfect daughter, would be on the top as usual.

Abby peeled off the white sheet of paper covering the picture on top. "Lastly, on top of the pyramid is Maddie. You had the overall high score, and your solo was majestic." She praised the brunette. Maddie wore a radiant smile in response, but it seemed somewhat fake. Chloe wondered if deep inside she was tired of being at the top and felt sorry that the other girls never got their chance to shine.

"Now, I have an announcement to make to you all. I have found a team that is just like all of you. Each of you will go up against one member of this team. The girl from the new team that impresses me the most will be on top of this pyramid. Any one of you," Abby's stare skated over them, "that _doesn't_ impress me will be switched in a heartbeat. Everyone is replaceable. Am I clear?"

They all nodded with concern.

At this point it was official. Abby was trying to destroy the original seven_—_now only five remained.


	2. Abby's New Select Ensemble

**Hello, everyoneee. I'm back! :)**

**I've been quite bussy lately, so I didn't have much time to work on this since I also started working on my old stories. But I promise next time I won't take that long. As you can see this chapter is much longer. Would you rather it be like this? Or do you guys want the chapters shorter? So here you go. Hope you like it! **

"Okay, you girls may have noticed there are five more headshots on top of the pyramid" Every one of them nodded, feeling a little concerned. They kind of knew where Abby was going with this. "I came up with a team that's just like all of you. There will be one new team member to go up against each of you. To challenge you. This doesn't have to be negative, unless you make it negative," she continued.

At this point it was official. Abby was trying to destroy the original seven- now five.

"Girls, you have to understand. There's always somebody else. Everyone's replaceable!" Christi rolled her eyes as Maddie kept nodding. She looked lost somehow.

"I think it's time to bring the new team in. Take a deep breath, 'cause your life is about to change." They all took a deep breath and smiled. "And so is theirs… Girls, let's go! Come on in!" Abby shouted at the top of her lungs as she motioned to the door and five girls that look about their age came in.

Chloe's jaw dropped as they sashayed into the room, followed by their moms.

That was just great. Now, not only did Chloe had to beat Maddie, but also she had to beat five more girls, who might as well replace her. And the best part is she had been dancing there since she was two.

"Welcome to the Abby Lee Dance Company! Girls, I know it's intimidating to walk into this room. Oh…they don't look very intimidated, now do they?" Abby hissed through clenched teeth, emphasizing the last sentence. All the girls from the new team looked at the girls with a mischievous smirk.

"Each one of you is competing against a girl from my new team," she announced.

"Mia, come on out here," Abby ordered as a blonde girl approached them. She was Mia Diaz from Starz Dance Studio. She used to appear in Dance Moms Miami, but the show stopped a few years ago.

"Come on out here, Nia." Nia took a step forward and stood next to Mia.

Nia walked toward Mia and stood next to her.

"Check each other out, girls." Abby instructed as they glanced at each other cautiously. She wasn't intimidated at all.

Nia could do jazz, musical theatre, ballet. Mia was a good dancer. Nia had seen Mia dance before on TV and some competitions, but Nia truly believed in herself and she knew she could pull this off.

"Nia, you will be competing against Mia." They both smiled at each other and looked back at Miss Abby before she continued.

"You will both have a solo and compete against each other in the Junior division." She hollered as they exchanged nervous glances.

Last week Abby pulled Nia out of the group routine because she thought she was too sloppy and she didn't fit in with the rest of the group at all. She bet Abby was doing this to her because she was not like them. She didn't _look _like them.

Abby always made sure to rub it in her face.

First, she didn't fit in with Chloe and Paige… Then, the group dance…

Mia was a blonde, had hazel-green eyes and had pretty much their height.

Everybody knew how much of a control freak Abby was and how she liked to have everything under control in her pretty little head. She was always pulling Mackenzie out of the group because "the dance was too mature for her," when she was in fact judging people based on their appearance. Mackenzie was short and Nia's skin was dark.

Holly, Nia's mom, was also concerned about this issue. Abby had denied countless times being a racist, but everyone found the coach prejudicial. Since the first year Abby created her Junior Elite team, Nia had been set up to get the lead role in a group only if they're ethnic or stereotypical. The most remarkable times would be the _Rosa Parks_ group dance, when Abby made Maddie walk on Nia, which made the dance controversial and the _LaQueefa_ solo. Abby had given Nia a typecasting animal print costume and made her wear an afro when all of the girls wore pretty costumes.

But that didn't make Nia or Mackenzie worse dancers. As a matter of fact, it made them work harder so that they could pull Abby's eyes in a positive way.

And Nia was not afraid to speak up, but that's what Abby wanted. She wanted her to blow up in her face so that she had an excuse to kick her off.

But she was _not_ giving her that pleasure.

If she wanted to kick her off the team, she would have to make up some lame excuse about her feet or her technique. As always.

She had to dance at the best of her ability. Even if it meant fighting the pain for hours and still giving it her all. She wouldn't let Abby push her aside without a fight.

"Okay, step back in line," Abby ordered as they returned to their places.

"Kalani, step forward," Kalani stopped in front of the girls.

"Kendall, you already know Kalani. And I remind you that she beat Chloe and Paige the first week she was invited to compete with us. This is your challenge." Kendall nodded and gave Kalani a friendly smile.

Kalani Hilliker was a contestant on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. The previous week, Kalani had learned a duet with Maddie called _Two Sapphires._ It was lyrical and very pretty and clean, but Maddie swore multiple times to Chloe that they weren't competing that weekend in New York. She claimed that they performed it in another competition. Chloe felt somehow relieved, knowing that Maddie and Kalani wouldn't be up against them. Not because they were better dancers, but because she knew that Abby had made sure to give them better choreography and that way she and her twinnie would have a bigger chance of winning.

That was until they actually saw Maddie and Kalani dressing into their duet costume and stretching right before they stepped onstage. Chloe's face fell the minute she realized what had just happened before her eyes. Not only they had a very low chance of holding that first place title, but also Maddie had lied to her face. A straight out lie. It was a sneaky move. That set a breaking point in their friendship, for sure.

"You will both have a solo and compete in the Pre-Teen division." Abby announced.

Kalani actually looked like a nice girl! She and Kendall were different dancers. However, in Jill's opinion, Kendall had more performance and looked better on stage.

Kendall was a little worried because Kalani was almost a year older than her and her technique is obviously better. And then Abby thought very highly of her, meaning she would do everything in her hand to make Kalani look better.

Kendall wasn't feeling as confident as she usually was. She was a nervous wreck at the moment.

"Abby, you never give Kendall a solo and now that you have your new team, you're putting my little girl up against someone who is older than her," her mom spoke up.

This time Kendall was glad that she actually did.

She usually opened her mouth to start some pointless drama about her being at the bottom or the middle row of the pyramid, or not having a solo, which only made things worse. Abby was a stubborn creature and they never wanted to question what she did because she was so vindictive.

Not that it mattered. Abby turned away, her eyes meeting her new, little dancers.

"Come on out, Asia." Asia greeted Mackenzie happily from her spot. She knew Abby was gonna put her up against Asia. This rivalry came way back.

Asia and Kenzie were very good friends, but Mackenzie was a little concerned though.

"Mackenzie, step forward. Asia's nine… so are you," Kenzie nodded enthusiastically. "You know she beat you several times last season. That's because she's a sass queen. Remember Mackenzie, cute is getting old." Mackenzie rolled her eyes at Abby, but Abby didn't see.

Mackenzie was out of dance for only a few days. She had no choice but to be out; the doctor had told her she had to!

Asia was getting all the solos. Then she might have gotten her spot on _The Last Text_ and almost performed _her_ part on The View.

She didn't get it. This was her team!

Back then she was just so jealous of her. Asia could dance better. She danced older, sassier. Asia could turn; all Mackenzie could do was mainly acro, but of course Asia was great at acro, too.

She wished Asia would just leave. Mackenzie was on the team and she already had enough with Abby comparing her to her sister Maddie.

But they were friends now.

"Oh, Abby we have already been through this," her mom whined.

Even though sometimes Mackenzie thought Melissa only seemed to care about her perfect Maddie, deep inside she cared for her, too. After all, Mackenzie was her daughter and parents fight back if someone hurts their children.

"Melissa, you and I both know Asia made Mackenzie work her butt for that first place title." Her mom faked a smile, but deep inside Mackenzie knew Abby was right.

Kenzie came second to Asia the first time they competed against each other. She had just came back from her foot injury and had been benched a several weeks, being stuck with the team's make-up, which could be a reason why.

But she was still concerned.

Asia was sassy…She was just cute.

"You will both have a solo and compete in the mini division," Abby announced as both girls walked back into their respective spots.

"Autumn, you will be competing against Chloe." Chloe glanced over at Autumn.

Chloe was a little worried since she had seen Autumn perform a few times, and she had yet to admit that she was such an outstanding dancer. But she wasn't gonna let her win that easily.

She was Chloe Lukasiak.

Fine, she might miss her twinnie, but she was a title holder and she won a lot of trophies and crowns.

She was a competition girl. Nothing was going to rattle her nerves.

"Welcome," Chloe greeted Autumn. Autumn thanked her as she offered Chloe a friendly smile.

"Any titles, Autumn?" Abby inquired intentionally. Chloe knew she wanted to make her feel less than Autumn. She wanted to psyche her out so that she'd mess up and she didn't even have to bother to make up an excuse to kick her off the team.

"Yes. I am currently a four-time National Champion. I'm three-time National Champion for Starpower. I also have… way too many regional titles…" Autumn squeaked as she rambled on and Abby cockily smirked as Christi rolled her eyes.

Chloe wasn't really listening. Not that she cared at the moment.

Her head was swarming with thoughts like "_What if I don't_ _win?_" and "_What would Abby say if Autumn beats me?"_

Okay, Chloe admitted she did intimidate her…a little.

"Abby, it's so obvious to everyone that you're putting Chloe up against Autumn because you won't put Maddie against her. So guess what? Chloe is always the sacrificial lamb," her mom protests as Abby turned around to look at her new team, completely ignoring her.

"Whatever, Christi," she snapped huskily.

"Maddie, step forward." Maddie did as Abby told her to.

Her face fell as she realized that Sophia was the only girl left on Abby's new select ensemble.

Maddie was nervous. She wasn't used to be upstaged by anyone, but Sophia was a star and she knew it. She could do contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, acro…so yeah, pretty much everything and she also held a Guinness World record for the most pirouettes in a row. She could do 54 turns on passé. Maddie was jealous.

Sophia joined the ALDC a little over a year ago, when Abby decided to replace the whole team after all the moms gave her the silent treatment and had a sit in to protest for Abby not letting Kelly bring her girls back in. Yes, Kelly is always in and out; she always gets into some sort of fight with Abby and Brooke and Paige end up having to pay that.

Maddie liked Sophia a lot. They had known each other for years, but Maddie always felt like she needed to be on her toes to make sure Sophia didn't outshine her.

"Sophia. You are a former member of the Abby Lee Dance Company. Last season you showed us that you set that stage on fire, but you never competed head to head with Maddie. Let's see how this turns out. Maddie, don't let me down!" Maddie looked at her reflection on the mirror and saw her face go blank, and her fingers untangled themselves.

Maddie was smiling. But her eyes weren't.

Her mom is smiling that fake smile that usually comes around once in a while.

"You won't have solos. Instead, Chloe and Maddie will have a duet and compete up against Sophia and Autumn in the Junior division." Abby let them know.

Maddie was excited that she had a duet with Chloe.

Whenever they danced together, they were in perfect synch and they always placed first.

Now that they had Sophia and Autumn these Maddie started feeling a little unsure. The last time Sophia came there, Abby never looked at Maddie with the same eyes; she barely gave her solos and she gave her half the attention she usually got from her. She was always at the bottom or middle row, instead of at the top, where she always was.

And that's when she began to wonder. Is this how the rest felt like?

"We are travelling to Youngstown, Ohio. We will be attending Starpower. This is the largest dance competition in the United States. It's one of these competitions where you enter as many routines as you can, so that's what I'm gonna do." Abby announced. They all cheered and clapped, but Kendall was the loudest.

All Maddie could do was hope there were no Candy Apples there. The only thing they would get out of that would be more added pressure, which wouldn't help at all considering that Maddie had to beat Sophia and she was indeed a flawless dancer.

"You know who lives in Ohio," Abby started. Oh no…

"Candy Apples!" All the original girls sang in unison as they cheered.

Great! This was absolutely fantastic.

Now they were gonna have Abby yelling at them the whole week 'cause they weren't working their hardest to beat Cathy and her rotten apples'.

"And I expect you girls to win. So, don't let me down or I might replace you." Abby warned.

At this point, Maddie was starting to get concerned about her spot on the ALDC junior elite competition team.

_No. _She _had_ to win. No matter what.

If she won, she could _finally_ prove to Abby that she can work hard and be just as talented as Sophia.

And it's not fair that Abby compared the two of them. They were two different people. Different dancers. When Sophia danced, it should be about Sophia. When Maddie danced, it should be about Maddie.

Now she understood how Chloe must have felt all this time whenever Abby put them up against each other.

If Maddie wins, Abby will have to eat her words… _Literally._

"This week, we're doing a routine entitled Life on the routine is lyrical, is pretty and is fun. So, what this number is about is being the second choice. You girls have been my elite junior competition team for three years straight. Let's see if it stays the same," Abby explained, looking at the original girls over her shoulder.

They all nodded concernedly.

"My new select ensemble will be performing a funky, hot, sassy jazz routine entitled Looking for Spotlight. I know you girls are already there, but are you here to stay?" Mackenzie turned around and saw concern on the new team girl's faces.

At least it was an even playing field. And everyone knew that pretty lyrical usually defeats Jazz. So, they had a good chance of winning.

"My junior elite competition team is going up against my new select ensemble. Let the best win!" A smile spread across the new moms' faces. However, the original moms had a concerned look, just like their daughters did.

It was going to be a tough week if there were so many routines.

They had two group dances, six solos and two duets. Normally, they would get a group, a duet and two solos. And this way, they usually had very little time to learn their solos.

Abby was gonna have to split her time in half and that wasn't going to help at all. Considering that Mackenzie usually got 15 minutes of her solo rehearsal, she was worried that she was just gonna get 5 minutes and her solo was gonna look bad.

How was she supposed to learn a 3 minute solo in 5 minutes?

It was impossible!

"Girls, you have no idea what it takes to complete every single weekend. I'm tough. I want a clean sweep, understood?" Abby instructed as the new girls nodded.

Then, she turned back to her original team for approval and they nodded too.

"Casting an entire new team is a hard task. I need to see how they work with the group. Hey, maybe on stage at the competition they choke." She concluded as the new moms gave her a death glare.

Mackenzie smiled inside.

"Okay, moms you're dismissed. Girls start stretching. Original team here, New Team head to studio B." Abby motioned Kendall to come as the new girls walked out and the original team did some jogs and started stretching to get ready for rehearsal.

**Okay, so that's it, guys! Tell me what you think and if you'd like to read more. Please don't forget to follow, favourite and review! :))**


	3. Life On the Rebound

**Okay, guyss! Here we go again, as promised :)**

Kendall trembled in her spot before finally coming out.

"Kendall, you do know that you have to come to practice with your hair up, right?" Abby scolded her dancer. Kendall then swallowed the lump in her throat that had been preventing her from talking.

"Yes, Miss Abby" Kendall eventually managed to mutter as she nodded. She screamed inwardly.

_Why did Abby always have to make such a big deal out of the stupidest of things?_

"Head back into Studio A and this better not happen again or I might replace you" Kendall glanced down and apologised as she entered the bathroom and brushed her hair, collected it and put an elastic around.

A few minutes later, Kendall walked back into practice with her blue booty shorts and her black and white zebra crop trop as she started stretching along with the rest of the group. Her hair was gathered in a perfect bun. Instantly, all eyes were on her.

"Kendall, what happened?" Nia asked her softly as Kendall turned to face her and the rest of the girls kept stretching.

"Abby scolded me for not having my hair up" She replied as she got down in her side splits and pushed down on her right leg.

Then Nia remembered when she had all her hair braided prettily during 'Twilight' rehearsal and Abby got berserk because it kept falling all the time and even threatened to chop it off. Or even that time when she made Chloe cry because she didn't have an elastic to gather her hair. Everyone agreed was too hard on these kids, ever since they were young.

Kendall watched Abby step back into the room after mumbling something to the girls from her new team. How did they get to this point, anyway?

Why did she want to replace them? They danced for her and it came from the heart. They came to class every single day until 11:30 or even midnight sometimes. They worked harder and harder every day and they even won competitions. And that's how she paid them?

She was delusional.

"Ready? Five, six, seven…go," Abby said as they started to run their dance.

"Up, up, down, down, big finish, turn, hold." She ordered as the girls followed her guidelines.

Kendall really liked their group dance this week. It was very clean and pretty and it had been very long since the last time they performed a lyrical routine. They had been doing a lot off jazzy routines lately, but only Maddie and Chloe got the privilege of doing this style of dance.

Even though she loved the dance, she was concerned about the message Abby was trying to send. I mean, these girls had been dancing here since they were two or three years old. And considering Kendall came here last year, she was most likely going to be kicked off since she was the newest member and Abby was always complaining about her technique and her facial expressions.

_"This is the path to the end of it all," _The song said as Kendall, Maddie, Chloe and Nia all did an aerial as Mackenzie stepped in the middle and did a needle.

_"It goes on and on. Goes on and on."_ Then, they all did three fouettes to a double turn.

"Beautiful, beautiful." Abby cheered as a smile formed in her lips.

_Did she really compliment them?_ Kendall had to be dreaming.

Abby was always mean to them. And considering that she brought a whole new team to replace them, she wasn't really expecting her to actually give them positive feedback.

But oh well, maybe she changed her mind and she eventually realised that they were the 'chosen ones', as she likes to say and not her new select ensemble.

Kendal can't help but feel proud of herself. During this past year she experienced a lot of changing in her dancing technique and the passion she put into it. Finally, all her effort and hard work was paying off. And she was glad Abby realised.

"Kendall, stop daydreaming and focus!" Abby snapped as Kendall looked up to see her mom rolling her eyes at the viewing room. Then Chloe and her did a grand Jeté.

Yeah, obviously Abby had to make the comment. Well, at least she wasn't complaining about Kendall's dancing. That must mean something…

Who was she kidding? Abby was never gonna compliment her on her dancing or be happy for her. She can't think outside the square. Maddie is all that she sees.

_"You're going under. Life's pulling you down," _They all did 5 leaps to a calypso jump and then 6 coupé turns as Maddie and Chloe did 4 kickspins_._

Kendall kept rambling on inside of her head.

Maddie was the one who always got the extra privates. Maddie was the one who got to be on top of the pyramid every single week. Maddie was the one who always got the opportunities.

Maddie was the lead of the group dance again.

Maddie…

'Okay, Kendall…stop it! You're just being jealous,' she thought to herself.

She guessed this replacement thing was really getting to her if I had gotten to the point of being jealous of her friend.

'You know you can be just as good as Maddie.' Kendall tried to convince herself as she focused on her dancing.

"Knees down, knees up straight, split and come down…pretty and hold…beautiful." Abby instructed as they all followed her instructions and she clapped at Maddie.

Not for too long though.

Same old…

They all knew Maddie was Abby's favorite and she'd never, ever be expelled from the team. Even if Maddie came second to Sophia, Autumn or Chloe, or even her. Abby loved her too much to do that to her precious, little dancer.

I mean, nothing personal. Maddie was her friend and a very sweet girl and Kendall had to admit she was a phenomenal dancer, but just because she was better at jazz doesn't mean Abby has to kick Kendall off for some outsider lyrical dancer to take her spot. Everyone knew she wanted a team 'full of Maddies' and she'd do everything in her hand to achieve her goal.

Up in the viewing room the moms seemed to be having a situation too.

"Up, down, over," Christi heard Abby yell from her spot in the viewing room.

"We're the left overs." She told the rest of the moms. They nodded in agreement.

This weekend the girls will be competing at Starpower in Youngstown.

_'Oh, yippee skippy! We get to go to Ohio and see my bestie Cathy.' _Christi thought to herself. She was overly excited to find out which way Cathy came up with to have a chance of beating them. Will she bring some older girls or ringers and feature her daughter Vivi-Anne as a human prop again to bring the age category down? Will she bring an old boys team?... Who knows? It was Cathy after all.

Let's just hope she doesn't bring any water around.

I mean this woman is utterly insane. She's the one who's flying around on her precious broom and hitting everyone with her purse, and yet she's the one who needs the bodyguards.

Let's talk some drama here.

The Wicked Witch of the West was gonna be there with her rotten apples and that was going stress Abby out, which was going to affect the girls. And they already had enough pressure with her bringing her new, perfect, little 'select ensemble' and their girls having to prove that they were good enough and they should not be replaced. I mean they'd been dancing here forever, for God's sake!

Christi had to admit that she was a little concerned for Chloe. That Autumn girl was an outstanding dancer, but she knew that her Chloe had the face and the emotion she probably lacked of.

"Mackenzie! Sickled feet!" Abby exclaimed in horror as she put her head in her hands. Christi noticed Melissa frowning out of the corner of her eye.

Abby seemed to enjoy picking on Mackenzie. She was the smallest one on the group, and now that Asia was here again she was being really hard on that poor kid.

"We already know you'll never be like Maddie. Will you ever beat Asia?" Abby yelled. Christi glanced down at Mackenzie, who looked very hurt and as if she was about to cry.

Melissa instinctively got up, determined to confront Abby.

If she had said that to Chloe, Christi would have been down already. She was sure of that.

"Don't even think about it, Melissa! She's trying drive you crazy so she has an excuse to pull Mackenzie out of the group." Holly pointed out wisely.

She was always the rational one. She always knew how to keep it down and make them come to their senses whenever they were about to lose it.

Christi gazed down at Chloe and Maddie, who did side aerials on opposite ends as the girls in the middle did a triple turn.

She was stunned by the girls' dancing when Kristie Ray and her minions waltzed in briskly into the room.

"I think it's time for us to take OUR sits." She hissed, emphasizing 'our'. The rest of the new moms slowly made their way into the room.

Christi hated to be bossed around, even more coming from that.

But for the girls' sake, they had to leave.

Abby would use the smallest excuse to kick one of the girls out, so they won't be fighting this week. They won't give her that satisfaction.

"You know…It's hard for our kids to see other kids come in and possibly take their place_," _Melissa said before leaving the room.

Wow. Christi had never been Melissa like this. Normally she just kept her mouth shut, like the goody-goody two shoes she was, but she was actually sticking up for the girls.

Holly may have a phd in math, but Melissa had a phd in kissing Abby's ass.

Even though she was always trying to please Abby, meaning her having that fake smile on all the time and lying to everybody's back and then denying it, Christi had to admit yet that Melissa had a point.

The girls had been dancing here since they were two. They belonged here. Nobody should be taking that away from them. They worked hard and they earned it.

"I think it is hard to accept somebody coming in, kinda raining on your parade. I think it's time for some new faces." She fought back.

Christi hated that woman…even more than Cathy. And that was even difficult, because honestly Cathy was the last person Christi wanted to see in her life.

She was sneaky. She will step on anybody to get what she wants, no matter the negative personal consequences her actions may have to others.

But that Kristie Ray…ugh! She swore that woman did get on her nerves. She made her skin boil.

"Girls, you're dismissed," Abby told her original team as she invited her new girls in.

"Come on in!" She ordered as the other girls walked out of studio A and they slowly got in.

**Okay, so that's it! Did you like the group dance title? Do you have any suggestions on anything you want to happen or I should change?**

**Stay tuned for more! :)**


	4. Twinnies and Newbies

**He****llo everyoneee! I'm back with a new chappy. I just thought I'd let you know what these three following weeks I have my finals, but I have a little more written into the fic so updating shouldn't be a problem. Anyways, hope you like it!**

As Kendall, Chloe, Maddie, Nia, and Mackenzie left to rehearse again in Studio C, the new girls started working on their routine. Once there, the girls closed the door as Chloe played the music from her phone. They all got into their positions and started dancing around, doing what they were supposed to do. A few turns over here…a few fan kicks over there.

As they were done with their group rehearsal Maddie approached her sister Mackenzie. "Kenz, I know you're better with acro, but you need to work hard, kay?" she spoke.

Mackenzie herself knew her sister was right. She wasn't very fond of lyrical routines; the closer she got to them was probably her acro-contemporary solo "_Dancing Barefoot"_, which she forgot onstage, and a few group dances like "_Just Be"_, where she didn't stick up that much.

But Maddie was proud that her little sister was improving. And no one could deny that Mackenzie had grown up from the _"I don't wanna be on Broadway; I just wanna sit on the couch and eat chips"_ six-year-old girl to a pop singer-slash-passionate dancer nine-year-old.

"You nailed all of your turns. I'm so proud of you, Kenz!" Maddie squeaked as she hugged her little sister tightly.

Even though Abby was always comparing them and anyone would say that neither Maddie or Melissa cared about Mackenzie, they really did. Maddie loved her little sister, and she felt bad that Abby was creating all this competition and rivalry between lately.

After their rehearsal, they walked into the den and Mackenzie slipped on her tap shoes as she got out of the room and walked into Studio B, where her friends Brooke and Sarah waved to her from the distance. Nia also left to get into her ballet class; that left Kendall, Chloe and Maddie alone.

"So, do you think we're gonna win this week?" Kendall asked, concern filling her voice.

All three of them knew the new girls were really amazing dancers and they were scared that they might be kicked off the team if they blew this chance.

Maddie quickly stood up and inserted some coins into the dispensing machine, getting a bag of chips and a three Diet Cokes out.

"We'd better win, Kendall. Abby is serious about this one!" She spoke as she handed each girl their diet coke and opened her chips.

Maddie was Abby's favorite. Nobody ever thought she'd be put up against someone who had a very high chance of beating her. Never in the history of the Abby Lee Dance Company had Abby done that to her.

This situation was implausible, even weird. Just like Maddie felt when she performed her first Jazz solo "_Lights, Camera, Action". _Maddie liked this solo a lot, but it felt different…When she hit that stage it was usually to perform a lyrical or contemporary dance.

Suddenly, Chloe's phone started blowing up.

_"Whoever it is, they can wait." _Chloe thought as she sipped her coke and took one chip out of Maddie's bag. One minute had slipped and her phone kept ringing. Chloe never answered calls or even texts when she was at the dance studio, but since they were so insisting she decided to finally answer.

"Hello?" Chloe inquired, eager to find out who was on the other line.

"Chlo-bird!" A similar voice on the other line squeaked. A smile formed on Chloe's lips.

It was her twinnie. She didn't have any news from her since that horrendous day when everything changed.

"Paigey Mack! What happened? Abby told us that you guys won't be at the ALDC anymore," Chloe replied excitedly as she tried to find out what really happened after her twinnie and Brooke had left the competition.

"She sued my mom. And told us not to come near the studio." Chloe froze. Even though she was young she had perfectly understood what Paige had just told her; Chloe couldn't believe Abby had taking this so far. She has known Kelly since she was two or three and yet she took the issue to the judges.

"Oh Paige, what are we gonna do? I mean, you love dancing; even though Abby can be a real pain in the ass sometimes," Chloe confessed, feeling a little worried for her blonde friend.

Abby was very hard on Paige sometimes…most of the time. She was always picking on her dancing, her feet, her technique, her facials…anything coming from Paige in general. She even called her stupid once, which drove Kelly up the wall. And it was understandable; who would want their teacher to call their child stupid?

There was a time when Abby stressed out Paige so much that she got a panic attack and forgot her solo onstage a few days later. Kelly immediately confronted Abby about making Paige be so scared, even to the point that she wanted to be here and dance with her friends, but she was frightened of her dance teacher.

The moms brushed off the situation as not a big deal and decided to put the blame on the routine, which was contemporary, definitely not Paige's forte.

"I know…I'm gonna miss you a lot, Chlo!" Paige told her apologetically as Chloe focused back on the conversation.

_Wait a minute…what did she just say?_

"What do you mean? We will still see each other at school, right?" Chloe asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah…I guess," Paige voice cracked. Chloe knew there was something big going on and it wasn't just being kicked off the team.

"Paige…what's wrong?" She tried to help. Chloe was this kind person that always wanted to help everyone. But this time it was her twinnie, so she felt kind of obligated to help her.

"D-do yo-u think you can come over to my house later tonight?" Paige stammered.

Chloe's face fell. She started to feel the tears come to her eyes as she heard her best friend voice cracking.

But whatever it was she wanted to tell her, she didn't want anyone else to know and it couldn't be talked over the phone, so it had to be serious. Chloe grew worried. She didn't want anything bad to happen.

"Sure. I mean, I need to ask my mom, but I'm positive she'll say yes." Chloe instantly replied back.

"See you later then. Love you," Paige cut off.

"Always twinnie." Chloe told her as she hung up.

The previous call left Chloe in an overly worried state. What could possibly be going on that Paige could be so upset about? It definitely had to have something to do with them not being able to see each other again. _What if Abby had threatened to put Kelly into jail if they stayed in town and they had to move from Pittsburgh?_

_No. It's not like she could do that. Or could she?_

_What was Chloe going to do without her twinnie?_ She was already struggling to cope with hardly ever seeing Paige again, but she was sure about one thing and that was she wouldn't bear not seeing Paige ever again.

"Okay, girls so I just talked to Paige and she told me that Abby won't let them even come near the studio. So hopefully some of us will still see her at school." Chloe sadly announced as the rest of the girls' smiles faded.

"Oh, that's sad! We're gonna miss them a lot" Maddie says.

Kenzie hurriedly steps in, her tap shoes clicking around "Brooke's not coming back?" She inquired with a downcast expression on her face. She was soon followed by Nia, who sat on the floor as she started unlacing her ballet slippers.

"No, Mackenzie. Abby won't let her back" Kendall sharply replies back.

And they all knew this time it was for real. There wouldn't be any more second chances like before. At least not if Abby had bothered to cast a new team.

"Hey, how about we plan a little party on Sunday. I mean this competition is in Ohio, so we'll be home by Saturday afternoon." Nia excitedly spoke still from her position in the floor as she gripped her slippers and stood up.

"Yeah, definitely!" Maddie agreed.

"Sure," Chloe eventually muttered under her breath.

Chloe wasn't very sure though. She knew something was wrong with Paige and she knew she wouldn't be up for any parties. She just needed to find out what was wrong with her.

"I'm just gonna head up real quick and ask my mom something, kay?" Chloe announced as she made her way up the stairs, and into the viewing room.

Meanwhile, the new girls were rehearsing their group dance.

_"Okay, here goes nothing!"__ Sophia thought to herself before putting her head in the game._

_"Remember, you're stepping on the stage for the very first time as the Abby Lee Dance Company. Well, not all of you. You're the chosen ones. That's a big deal." She continued as they nodded._

Sophia actually appreciated that Abby was boosting their self-esteems, but personally she found kind of sad that she was even considering to kick any of the original girls off the team. It saddened her that she had expelled Brooke and Paige. Sophia wasn't here for long when she first competed with the ALDC, but she could tell they were really passionate dancers and that strong bond that their group had is what makes them succeed.

She was sure that Autumn, Mia, Kalani and Asia were outstanding dancers, but Sophia barely knew them. She was a little closer to Autumn and Mia though, but that still wasn't enough to connect as a group. They didn't even hold a candle to these girls. They'd know each other since practically kindergarten.

When it came to a group routine it wasn't about having 5 different, stunning solos onstage. It was about feeling that connection and trusting each other. And Sophia didn't think they were quite there.

She was a little concerned.

_"Five, six, seven, eight." Abby said as they started dancing._

_"Look at us now. Everybody shout out. Oh, in the spotlight,"_ Mia, Asia, and Kalani all did a back walkover as Sophia and Autumn did a needle.

Sophia really liked their group dance this week. It was jazzy and upbeat and what she was best at is either Jazz or Contemporary, so she was kinda glad they weren't doing a lyrical routine, especially as a group. And especially this week.

"Up, Chainé." They all did 3 fouettes to a double turn.

_"No matter what you're outside. Get it what you're inside. Open your eyes. You deserve the spotlight."_ Sophia had a tiny solo part as she did a fan kick and a calypso jump. Then, Autumn and Mia did a tilt.

A minute into the dance Sophia realised it wasn't as bad as she expected it to be.

But still, the sentence 'We're not already there' got stuck in her head and kept repeating over and over again.

"Don't bounce in that split, plié!" Abby told Mia as they all did a plié and some hand isolations.

_"Oh, in the spotlight. Oh, in the spotlight."_ Asia circled her hips and then they all tucked their hands to their chests and dragged their feet as they walked backwards.

The music skipped to the end of the song as they all did their final position.

"Beautiful! I think we're gonna have a tough competition." Abby clapped. They all smiled at her.

Sophia had to agree with Abby on that one.

It was gonna be tough beating them. But there was still a chance…she guessed.

"Okay girls, you're dismissed. Sophia, can you bring Maddie and Chloe for their duet and sit down here with Autumn?" Abby ordered her. She nodded and walked out of Studio A and looked around the studio to bring Maddie and Chloe in.

**Okay guys, that's it! Tell me what you think about it and feel free to PM me for anything you'd like to happen or any further doubts :)**


	5. 5-The Masters vs the Lazy Slugs

**Hello guysssss! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in so long but I was superbusy with my finals. I'm not done with them yet, but I thought I'd give you an update in my "free" time. So, here's a new chap. Hope you guys love it :P**

As Sophia entered Studio C, she noticed Chloe was missing. "Where's Chloe?" Sophia asked the girls.

"She went up to ask something to her mom," Kendall replied as she gave her a grin.

"Uh, Abby says she wants her and Maddie for their duet," Sophia chimed in as Maddie got up and went to find Chloe. It was kind of strange that Chloe hadn't still come back if she was just going to ask something to her mom.

After climbing the countless stairs Maddie stopped and her eyes quickly searched the room for Chloe. Instead, she found all of the new moms there.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Jackie Lucia asked her. She was Sophia's mom. Maddie found her a very sweet person. When Christi said there were rumors that Jackie was talking crap about Mia, she couldn't believe it. Besides, if that was true, how was she sitting in the same room where Mia's mom was, next to her and acting normally around her?

"Wasn't Chloe just here?" Maddie asked her feeling a little confused. Chloe said she'd be talking to her mom and minutes after she flew upstairs, right? Maybe Maddie was just imagining things or this whole new team thing was driving her crazy.

"Yeah, she came here looking for her mom, but she wasn't here. She must be at the den or at the entrance." Maddie instantly knew she would be at the front there since they were talking in the den a few seconds ago.

"Thank you!" Maddie spoke as she went to look for Chloe.

Meanwhile in the entrance Chloe and Christi continued talking. "So mom, it must be something serious. I mean, Paige's voice was cracking," Chloe told her mother.

"I know, Chlo. Kelly phoned me and I could smell something was wrong from a thousand miles away. We'll definitely come over later to check what's wrong." Chloe nodded. Christi knew Kelly since both Chloe and Paige were two, just like she knew that Kelly needed her. Even though Christi and Kelly had their fights, and even though they dramatized them a lot because of their strong personalities, they always backed up each other. If Abby was threatening Kelly or something Christi would never forgive her.

"Sure," Chloe answered as they hugged. Then Maddie walked out of the studio and found them in that position.

"Chlo, Abby wants us for the duet." Chloe released her embrace on her mom and slowly got up.

"Coming! Talk to you later, mom!" After saying goodbye, Chloe and Maddie finally walked back inside.

As they came in, Sophia sat on the corner of the room, next to Autumn, and Abby smiled at Maddie.

"Maddie, Chloe, we're gonna start working on your duet. You're doing a lyrical piece entitled Together As One and the main purpose of this dance is that you two go out there looking like there's only one person on that stage, understood?" Abby explained as Maddie glanced at Chloe and she smiled at her.

Maddie could tell Chloe felt as comfortable with this as she did.

Chloe and Maddie had been doing duets together since they were practically in diapers. They even won a National title with their Black Swan duet three years before.

When Chloe and Maddie danced together they always placed first. They had the technique and the facial expressions, they danced from the heart, they trusted each other, they danced in perfect synch…and that was a shoe in for the win.

"You will have several challenges in this routine. There's partner work. You have to work together. You have to trust each other. You have to be technically correct. All of these things go into this duet." They nodded at her approvingly.

Chloe and Maddie had a duet this week and they only had three days to learn it, clean it and perfect it for the competition.

Maddie could tell it was going to be a little harder than any other time since they had to beat the Candy Apples and then they had to beat Sophia and Autumn too. Let's see how this went.

"Now is the time that we stand together as one," The music started as Maddie did 2 piqué turns towards Chloe as she held Chloe's hands and did an arabesque on relevé.

"A new light inside us will shine, as bright as the sun." Chloe's hands were in Maddie's as her chest was against Maddie's back as she did a side developé with her right leg.

"Stop!" Abby instructed as Sophia stopped the song. "What is wrong with you two? I wanna see that partner work. I wanna see the together stuff. I wanna see the timing," she rambled on and Maddie immediately grew nervous.

Abby had never, ever stopped Chloe and Maddie's song because they were off, or sloppy, or because they didn't trust each other. I mean she sure yelled at them, but that was usual in Abby's daily routine.

The problem was that she completely stopped the rehearsal because she thought it was impossible for them to pull this off. And she never did that. At least not to them.

"Okay, keep going." She told both of the girls as they started dancing again.

"Chloe! Get your leg higher!" She shouted at her tilt. Chloe went over it again and nailed it this time. Abby nodded at her.

"Together as one, we'll stand for the world to see," they both did 5 fouettes to a double as Chloe stopped, but Maddie did a leap out of the double.

"Together as one, we'll shine bright throughout eternity." Maddie did 3 piqué turns to 2 leaps and rolled out of it on the ground to do a toe rise up.

Abby was giving them harder choreography this week. It was different from their other duets. It had 3 difficult turn combos, front aerials, kickspins, some new leaps, and some moves Maddie had never done before. It was the most advanced duet she had ever done. She admitted that was stressing her out even more.

But it was understandable if Abby wanted them to beat the Candy Apples.

Maddie didn't know if Abby wanted them to beat Autumn and Sophia, but the Candy Apples…that was for sure.

"We will survive," Maddie did a russian to the middle splits as Chloe put her arms under Maddie's to lift her back up.

Out of the corner of Maddie's eye, she noticed Abby motioning Sophia to stop the music.

This couldn't be good!

"Chloe, Maddie…I don't know what's going on with you. The spacing is off; you're too far away from each other!" They both frowned as Abby went on. "The timing sucked. Together as one? Are you kidding me? You used to be together as one. Now Chloe is a beat behind in some parts and Maddie rushes way too much. What happened with the girls who used to portray characters exquisitely? You're dancing mechanically, like a robot would do," Chloe and Maddie looked down, feeling disappointed in themselves.

Maddie never thought they were dancing that bad. She glanced up at the mom's room as a concerned look spread across her mom and Christi's faces; maybe Abby was right and they were horrible.

"I'll tell you what's wrong. You're so worried that Sophia and Autumn are gonna beat you that the only thing you're focusing on is your technique. I mean, that's great, but you're leaving the emotions behind; and if you don't put your heart into it, you're not gonna impress those judges!" She yelled at them as they nodded enthusiastically.

Partly she was right, emotion was what made Maddie win week after week and her face looked more flushed than a chubby baby.

She was starting to suffocate herself and everybody knew what happened when Abby put too much pressure on Maddie: she'd probably fail like when she forgot her "In My Heart" solo.

"Sorry, Miss Abby." They both apologized in unison.

Maddie didn't know if they were actually that sloppy or Abby was overreacting because she wanted them to perform and be the winning number, but there was something clear in her mind; they had to try harder.

'Autumn, Sophia, you'd better watch out, because the Maddie Ziegler and the Chloe Lukasiak are here and they're gonna beat the crap out of you as they make apple sauce in the process.' Maddie thought to herself as a smile lit her face.

"Okay, I expect you to sit down there and learn from the masters." Maddie's eyes widened in shock as Chloe and she exchanged glances of confusion.

"Did she say masters?" Chloe muttered under her breath, not wanting Abby to hear. Maddie slowly nodded her head as she shrugged and then they sat down.

_Masters?_

Autumn and Sophia had been here for just a few hours and they were already masters? I mean, they sure were great dancers, but Abby didn't even know how they were gonna look together…in a duet!

Sophia and Autumn slowly get up and make their way to the front of the room, as they stood next to each other, facing the mirror and Abby.

"Okay girls, let's show these lazy slugs what real dancing is," Autumn turned around by the sound of a gasp and glanced over at Maddie and Chloe, who had shocked expressions on their faces. Abby gave them a death glare and they finally wiped it off and shut up.

Autumn didn't know how they actually put up with that every day. If she was them and Abby called her names in that mockery tone, she would have run away from the studio years ago.

Autumn was seriously beginning to wonder why she was even there. Her mom was a dance teacher and had her own studio back in California. She was nice to all her dancers and never tried to ridicule any of them, no matter how many mistakes they made.

Autumn didn't get where was the point of coming all the way up to Pittsburgh if she was going to get yelled at. For just some stupid reputation? Well, screw the reputation!

Autumn loved dancing. Dancing was her passion, her lifetime. She just wanted to dance comfortably and if Abby couldn't guarantee her that, then she would leave.

"Autumn, Sophia. You're doing a jazz routine entitled Unstoppable. You have to show the world that nothing can't stop you. You came here to be a part of the ALDC and you won't stop until you're there. These lazy slugs right there are just making it easier for you." They both nodded as they watched Chloe and Maddie roll their eyes.

There she went again!

"One, push, two, push, 3, push, 4, push, sweep, sweep, down," Abby told Sophia and Autumn as both girls started dancing and moving their hands around.

"Okay, watch those arms hmm uh…make sure you're using those arms!" She told Autumn as she tried again, succeeding this time. Then, they did a leap with the back leg bent.

"I'm the leader of the crowd and my game is really slick. I'm unstoppable, unstoppable, unstoppable, unstoppable." The music sang as Autumn went down in her middle splits and slid out of it, so her legs were behind her.

Autumn did a triple turn and then right after it, she kind of strutted, but Sophia grabbed her hand and Autumn looked over at her right before she did 2 aerials.

A smile spread across Abby's face.

Autumn was happy that she liked the way they were dancing together. To be honest, she loved it. They were really dancing in sync and since Abby wasn't yelling at them, it was a good sign.

This wasn't the first time Autumn danced together with Sophia though. Autumn had already done some duets with her and trios with Mia at some charity events, and she thought that they really fit together. They had even performed together with older girls under the name of "Circle of Hope" and they really enjoyed this experience, too.

"In the club, on the news I'll be rockin' like a rock star. I'm unstoppable, unstoppable, unstoppable, unstoppable," We both did three fouettes to a double as we blew a kiss to the mirror and did our ending pose.

Clapping and cheering suddenly filled the room.

"Oh, this was fantastic. Excellent! Now, you two would better learn from Sophia and Autumn." Abby said as she motioned to Maddie and Chloe, who were still sitting by the corner.

"Autumn, Sophia. You're dismissed! Go get a drink." She ordered before giving them a warm hug. Autumn watched Chloe and Maddie get up as she and Sophia left the room and walked into Studio C to run their dance again.

They had to work hard to make this happen.

They would beat Maddie and Chloe.

"Okay, let's do this again!" Abby instructed as they run their dance again. This time Chloe felt satisfied with their dancing.

They danced perfectly in sync, together as one. They trusted each other. They had the perfect timing and spacing. They showed their technique. They had the face and the most important thing. They danced from the heart.

So, hopefully Abby wouldn't have any excuse to yell at them and she'd finally shut that big mouth of hers.

"Girls, I'll tell you what. The boys are gonna be there this week. They're probably gonna have a duet or a trio against you. Do you believe? I'm not so sure I'm believing. Everybody has to have the face and everybody has to have the what?" She asked them.

Of course she wouldn't shut up. She's Abby Lee Miller. She always had to say the last word.

"Stamina." They both replied in unison.

"Stamina. You're dismissed. Bring Kendall and Kalani in." She told them as they go to look for Kendall and Kalani and walk into Studio B to go over it once again.

No matter if Abby was going to be hard on them, they were going to have to believe in themselves and give the performance of a lifetime.

Chloe and Maddie knew they could do this!

**That's all! So as always, please review, favourite and follow. It'd really mean a lot. From now on I'll give shoutouts to the readers who give me the best review and who have shoved me their support all along. Tell me**** what you think about it and feel free to PM me for anything you'd like to happen or any further doubts :)**


	6. You Suck!

**Hey guyssss! Sorry for not updating in so long again. Fortunately, I only have to do one more exam and then I promise I'll be posting more frequently :) Anyway, hope you like it! Please follow, like and review :)**

As both girls reached the den, Kendall and Kalani left. Mackenzie had just got back from ballet, so she quickly got up from the bench and opened her locker to put her slippers back in her dance bag. But just as she opened it a piece of paper flew out of it. She read it.

_My not so dear Mackenzie,_

_I just saw you dance in the group and let me tell you: You suck! You stink! You were a beat behind most of the time and you can't even do lyrical. What was that you could do? Acro? No wonder why Abby wants to replace you with Asia; you can't even beat her! How the hell are you even supposed to outshine Maddie? You'll always be in her shadow, just like Chloe and every other stupid dancer in here._

_PS: If you let someone know about this little note, you're going to regret it._

_With love from: Your Worst Nightmare XOXO._

Just as she finished reading, Mackenzie felt tears come to her eyes. She was sick of everyone being mean to her and always being compared. When would it be her time to show the world she's ready? When would it be to her time to come out of the shadows and into the light? To shine. Mackenzie had the potential and she wanted to make it big in the business. But if there was always going to be someone holding her back, she wouldn't be able to.

"Kenz, you okay?" Mackenzie was still deep in her thoughts, but was snapped by her sister's sweet voice. She quickly wiped her tears away as Maddie embraced her.

"Yeah, just that Ballet didn't go that well. You know I'm only good at acro. I'm a horrible dancer!" Mackenzie replied feeling defeated. She wouldn't even imagine that note would have such an effect on her. She had been going through all of this criticism for years, but that note was the last straw.

"Oh, Kenzie. That's not true at all and you know that!" Maddie comforted her as she held her little sister's head in her hands and looked her in the eye. "Listen Mackenzie, you're one great amazing dancer and you're also a great kid! I know Abby can be mean sometimes and I know that her words eventually can get to you." She explained, sympathetically intending to cheer Kenzie up. Maddie used to have these kind of talks with Chloe a while ago, but now Chloe had turned thirteen, consequently moving up to the following age category. Also, Mackenzie was soon moving up to the Junior division since she would be ten in a couple of weeks. Maddie suspected Abby wanted to put to an end the way back Maddie-Chloe showdown, but and start the new fraternal rivalry. It's like she wanted all of the girls to be at loggerheads.

"Thank you, Mads," Kenzie replied tightening her grip on her older sister.

Maddie's eyes then traveled to Mackenzie's right hand, which was firmly holding a piece of paper. "What's that?" She asked her little sister.

Mackenzie then realised she still had that note in her hand. 'Okay, think Mackenzie...think! Real quick. They can't know!' She thought to herself.

"Hmm...that's just my homework assignment...yeah!" Mackenzie clumsily made up. She was horrible under pressure and she knew her sister wouldn't buy it.

"Are you sure? Don't you like have acro right now?" And busted! What was she supposed to say now?

"Hmmm...yeah! I-it just flew out of my locker...totally! So, I'm gonna put it back in and I'm gonna put my shoes right on...yeah, totally. That's what I'm gonna do!" Mackenzie nervously declared before putting her foot thongs on and heading to acro, making sure to change the number combination after closing her locker.

"Girls, I know my sister...there's something wrong with that paper, I can smell it," Maddie told her friends. She knew that Mackenzie got nervous whenever she was trying to hide something and that she also stuttered and used a lot of pet words too.

"Yeah, she's definitely hiding something!" Chloe pointed out.

"We need to open her locker first. Okay, what do you guys think could be Kenzie's combo?" Kendall asked as she tapped her fingers nervously. What number combination could a 9 year old have? Not too difficult, yet not too easy.

"Maddie? Any ideas? " Chloe chimed in. Since Maddie was Kenzie's sister she had the most chances of guessing and getting it right.

"Hmm..." Maddie stated, a little doubtful.

Nia snapped her fingers. "I got it! Go for 000," She said jokingly as Kendall chuckled and started changing the numbers in the locker combination.

"Nia, she's 9, not stupid. It's not like Mackenzie is that dumb to..." Maddie said as the locker opened. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "So, where were we?" They all laughed loudly.

"Okay, here's the note!" Chloe declared as she grabbed the paper and read it out loud. She could see everybody's features change in a matter of seconds out of the corner of her eye.

Who could have written it? Who could be so inhuman to try to hurt a 9-year-old this way? Could it possibly be one of the new girls?

"Girls, we need to let Abby now about this," Maddie exclaimed, feeling concerned for her younger sister. The rest of them nodded as they stared blankly at Maddie and silence filled the room.

Kendall walked into Studio A as Abby gave her a glare.

"Kendall, before we start...you'd better not make waste my time," She looked down and then back at Abby and nodded.

Why was Abby always so mean to her?... She didn't care! The only thing she cared about right now was dancing to the best of her ability, so that Kalani wouldn't replace her.

Like she said before, Kalani was older than her and her technique was obviously better, so that gave Kalani an advantage on her.

"Your solo this week is a jazz-acrobatic routine. The name of your routine is Wild Beast. And the question is do I think you're a Wild Beast? That you're a firecracker? Unstoppable? Nahh...I don't think you're already there. Now, this is a defining moment in your life. You're either gonna go out there and wow the judges and impress ME or you're gonna go out there and blow it." Kendall nodded at her and started running her solo.

Kendall was starting to become tired of Abby's continuous insulting and mocking. The thing about Abby is that she didn't like to lose...at all. During practices, she was practically a drill sergeant. But after competitions, after they won that is, she was like their best pal. They thought she was bipolar.

"1, 2, 3, pop...get it down!" Kendall did a front aerial and then landed on the ground.

"Right foot, rolling over" Abby instructed. Kendall quickly got up as she did 4 leaps in a row and rolled out of it.

"Breathe in (breathe), Watch out" She did 3 piqué turns to 2 leaps and rolled out of it on the ground to do a toe rise up.

"Your face is ridiculous on the turns" Abby told her carelessly. Kendall tried to focus and change her facial expression and kept running her dance.

She then remembered that time when she was practicing her solo "Look at Me Now" and Abby had told her to go practice her faces in front of the mirror; she spent almost an hour putting angry, surprised, sad and happy faces with Abby sitting by her side and instructing her what face to put on! But the girls had a good giggle out of it and turned Kendall's face practicing session into a silly faces selfies session. They cracked up as Brooke came into the room wobbling her head here and there, claiming she was doing the Abby face.

"Remember Kendall...focus. No matter what she says to you...just dance!" She kept repeating in her head as she snapped back into reality.

"I'm a wild beast, boy. I'mma, I'mma, I'mma beast" She did a chassé to a leap, but landed standing up to a russian then a tilt jump, and then going into a triple turn.

"Face! You have the face! Use it!" She insisted again, this time yelling at her.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the other side of the door as it slowly opened and revealed Maddie, Chloe and Nia.

"Miss Abby, we need to talk to you," Maddie informed doubtfully. She didn't know what Abby's reaction would be, but she just hoped that she wouldn't yell at them. Chloe and Nia covered their ears, knowing what was about to come.

"Why did you interrupt rehearsal? Can't you just wait until it's over?" The dance instructor replied, surprisingly not rising her tone at all.

"It's important...but sure!" Maddie exclaimed before leaving the small Studio.

As they closed the door, Maddie looked around the corner, making sure there were no new girls around. "Okay, the coast is clear," She informed.

"So, who do you girls think wrote this?" Chloe inquired. She started looking for possible authors. She decided against Sophia and Asia since they had already been at the ALDC before and they had bonded with them; it's not like they would do anything like that to Mackenzie. Besides, Mackenzie and Asia were friends.

"It couldn't be Sophia, she's so nice and Asia is her friend soo, it has to be either Kalani, Mia or Autumn," Nia concluded after thinking for a while.

Maddie agreed too. "I don't think it would be Kalani either. I mean, she's almost fourteen, why would she be jealous of someone who's dancing practically two age levels below her? And she's also a nice girl," She announced. Chloe and Nia nodded in agreement. Kalani had also danced at the ALDC before and Abby seemed satisfied with her dancing, so they didn't think she had written it either.

"So, it's down to Autumn and Mia, who happen to be complete strangers to us." Chloe declared.

"We'll just have to wait... and investigate," Nia said remembered that time where they played detectives in their "Private Eyes" group routine they performed in Hollywood Vibe back in Pittsburgh, practically their back-yard. Except this time they wouldn't have their plastic golden guns around, and also Chloe wouldn't have to worry about getting disqualified for blowing the competition away. She was so naïve back then. It was hard to believe how much they had grown up and matured since then, but their situation had made them to.

Back in the viewing rooms the moms argued about Kendall's solo.

"I just don't understand why she always gives Kendall the fast, busy, overworked, spiny jazz routine" Jill complained from her spot in the viewing room.

Ugh. Maddie and Chloe. Chloe and Maddie. Were they all who Abby cared about? She always runs duet practice after she makes sure the girls have learned their solos, but since it's Chloe and Maddie, oh well, who cares? It seems like private after private, solo after solo, opportunity was given to those girls after time.

When would it be Kendall's time to shine?

She gave Kendall the hardest routine and she's putting her up against that Kalani, who's doing a beautiful contemporary routine.

When would her little KK be given a special part? When will she be given a lyrical or a contemporary routine? And before you go assuming that Jill was a crazy stage mother, she was just like any other parent. She just wanted the best for her child, and she knew she deserved it, too.

"Yeah, it's too fast! Anyone would struggle to keep up dancing that fast" Melissa told her as Holly and Christi nodded.

"Kendall, you're marking things. Why are you marking things? I didn't give Maddie this kind of solo. If I did, she wouldn't be marking it. She would do it full-out, every time" Abby yelled at Kendall as she kept running her dance.

Jill was proud of her little girl. Kendall didn't cry.

A few years ago, she would have tears streaming down her face and Abby would be calling her the crybaby of the team.

"Wow, Abby is taking this way too far. Do you think she's gonna give Kendall any positive feedback?" Christi asked as all the moms looked at her and then back at Jill.

Jill actually didn't know if that would happen. But she bet it won't in a million years; at least not until the moon and the sun align with the rest of the planets in the Milky Way.

"You know...Even though Abby has been really, really hard on Kendall and it has not been an easy road, I'm really proud of her. She's working towards something and she's seeing results. This is really good"

She was proud of Kendall; she had come such a long way!

Kalani kept watching Kendall dance and she didn't understand why Abby was being so hard on her. Her routine was really hard and she didn't even whine once.

"Spin, step, good" Abby told Kendall as she held her right leg up and did 4 leaps.

"Cause I'm a wild beast" Then, Kendall finishes as she blows a kiss to an imaginary audience.

"Why are you so out of breath? My goodness!" Kendall looked all flushed and out of breath and Kalani didn't blame her. Her routine was very fast and exhausting. "Okay, Kendall. I expect you to keep running your dance over and over until you get it right" Kalani slowly got up and clapped at Kendall before taking her spot.

"Kalani, you're doing a contemporary routine with several acrobatic tricks. Kalani is one of these kids that was born with beautiful feet, with natural flexibility. With my training, this kid could be the best. So, Kendall...you'd better watch out!" Kalani grinned at Abby and then at Kendall, who looked very disappointed. Kalani was starting to feel sorry for her. But she still had to work hard for a spot in the team.

"Your solo is entitled Eternal Deaf, cause no matter what they tell you, you'd better not listen to the haters, kid. You are amazing! Okay...let's start!" Abby informed as Kalani smiled at her happily. Although she liked the theme of her solo, she wasn't too sure she was identified with it. It's not like she had anyone actually picking on her for her dancing or anything in particular, but oh well, let's just give this a try.

As the music started Kalani waved her right hand by her face and then did a straddle jump. Then, she dragged my body on the ground and crawled towards the mirror. Then, she did a Valdez. Her solo involved a lot of emotion, which she was portraying almost excellently.

"And then poke, twist arms...good!" Abby instructed as Kalani did her hand isolation and a jazz run to the back of the Studio and prepped for her fouettes. She did seven fouettes to a double and then she did a leap right after the double.

Then Kalani realised how this solo was so different than the contemporary duet she had done with Maddie the previous week. Even though they won first overall, Kalani felt bad for interfering with the week plans. She also felt a little guilty for Brooke and Paige's expulsion. Kalani felt like her coming in and having their duet against Paige and Chloe's was what made Kelly blow up.

"One, two, two, push, pretty" Abby complimented as Kalani swung her arms around in the air and did a front aerial.

"Down, cross, passé" Kalani followed her instructions carefully. "Passé that knee" The dance instructor insisted; maybe Kalani wasn't doing it right, so she decided she'd just try again. "No, parallel" Kalani finally understood and did her step and kept dancing, frantically covering her ears as she did a side aerial.

"Beautiful," Abby cheered and clapped at Kalani. So did Kendall.

Kalani eyed Kendall and guilt struck in once again. If Kendall was replaced, it would be her fault, but also she wanted a spot in the team. She was definitely in a hard position since she didn't want to carry more guilt.

"Okay girls, breathe and go grab a drink. Tell Mackenzie and Asia to come in and keep running your solos" Abby dismissed both of the girls.

As they stepped out of the room Kalani stopped Kendall and looked her in the eye. Right beside them Maddie, Chloe and Nia were listening.

"Listen, I think our solos should be the other way around. You're the one that should be eternal deaf and not listen to her. Kendall, you're very good and you know it! Don't let her spoil your talent and your passion to dance, okay?" Kalani told her honestly as Kendall smiled at her. At least she had to let Kendall know this so that her conscience would leave her alone for a while.

"Thanks, Kalani! I won't...You're so sweet! And you're an amazing dancer too," Kendall pulled her into a hug and they went to tell Asia and Mackenzie to step into Studio A for their solo rehearsal.

Before stepping in, Maddie murmured something. "Okay, Kalani is now officially off the list," Chloe and Nia nodded as they stepped into the room.

"Miss Abby..." Maddie started as she stuck her head from behind the door.

"Oh, yes, Maddie come in! What was that you girls wanted to tell me?" Abby inquired, eager to find out the reason why the girls had interrupted Kendall's solo rehearsal before.

"Well, my sister... We realised there was something wrong with her, so we found this inside her locker," Maddie confessed as she handed Abby the little note. As Abby started reading her eyes widened in response.

The instructor eventually lifter her gaze from the paper and shot the girls a confusing look. They couldn't really read it. "What are you trying to tell me with this?" Abby asked them.

"We think that one of the new girls might be threatening Mackenzie...you know, to psych her out..." Chloe confessed as Abby glanced back at the paper and back at them.

Then an angry expression appeared on her face. "Chloe, you can't go accusing people without proof! Do you even know if this is real? Maybe Mackenzie just put it in her locker so that you found about it and you came to me," Abby hissed furiously. But the girls knew this wasn't the case. Mackenzie was 9 years old, and she couldn't be that twisted-minded at all. She was just an innocent little girl. She wouldn't do that. Melissa had raised her better than that!

"Now get out of my face before I get even madder. Focus on your dancing instead of making up stupid bullshit to tear these girls down," She yelled at the top of her lungs as they all look down, disappointed that she didn't believe them.

"Sorry, Miss Abby..." They all apologised in unison as they stepped out and watched Mackenzie and Asia step in.

"We've gotta do something about this. Mackenzie is not a liar," Nia protested.

"I know," Maddie declared. "We'll just have to keep looking." She continued as Chloe nodded determinedly and pulled both Nia and Maddie into a hug. "We will." Chloe spoke. She swore to God that they'd get to the bottom of this issue. For Kenzie.

**Okay, so that's everything! Feel free to PM me with ideas and please vote and comment.**


	7. 7-Will it ever Be my Time to Shine?

**Okay, guys. So first of all, I'm so sorry for not updating in like a bajillion years :(**

**The good news is I'm done with my finals, so I'll be able to update moree! Anyway, hope you like this chapter :)**

Kenzie and Asia went inside Studio A, ready for rehearsal.

"Mackenzie, you're doing a contemporary-acrobatic routine called '_Shine'_. You will be dancing to your own song, so it shouldn't be very hard for you to feel the emotion and work on your faces. This is a more mature dance." Kenzie energetically nodded at Abby.

"You're used to going out on that stage and smiling and making your cute little faces. But you know what? You're nine now. I wanna see beautiful lines. I wanna see real choreography. I want to see you tell a story. Maddie was able to do it when she was nine. But oh well—will you ever be like her? Or will you live in Maddie's shadow forever? Well, in my opinion, that _Cry_ solo made it really obvious . . ." Abby informed Mackenzie who felt really hurt at the moment.

Abby had no right to make fun of Kenzie and her song! Mackenzie hated that Abby was always comparing her with her sister. Maddie was a lyrical dancer, and Kenzie was more of an acrobat. And besides, she was two years older than Kenzie, so of course she was going to have more technique than Mackenzie.

Kenzie was tired of the rivalry thing Abby had been creating. It was like Abby was always trying to make them hate each other, but Maddie was Mackenzie's sister. She loved Maddie, even if she often didn't consider other people's feelings and thoughts when she was worrying about her own things. But Mackenzie would always love her, no matter what. Even if she was Abby's favorite and she could be a real brat sometimes.

"You need to start moving like a teenager. If you want to be a pop star, then you'd better start acting like one. Cute ain't working, Mackenzie! Asia is gonna beat the crap out of you if you keep doing these cutesy dances. You need to be sassy. Or she'll beat you . . . again. Understood?" her teacher warned.

Mackenzie had to win and prove that she was so much better than Asia . . . and Maddie.

"Yes, Miss Abby," Mackenzie simply replied.

"Okay, let's start from the top. One, two, three, plié." The music started as Mackenzie first did a double turn and fell onto the ground. Then she did a toe rise and a back walkover.

"Your feet are sickled right there when you go on your side. Fix that!" Abby told Kenzie. She repeated the step, this time pointing her feet. "Fix it . . . yeah!" Abby insisted.

"Up, up, down, down, jeté, push, roll . . . roll. Sloppy feet rolling around. Step out." Kenzie did her grand jeté, then she slid down to her middle splits and rolled around, but Abby seemed to be having an issue with Mackenzie's feet that day. They were starting to hurt from pointing them so hard.

"_Someday the chance will finally be mine . . . to shine,_" were the lyrics as Mackenzie did a front aerial and an illusion turn. Abby clapped at her . . . finally. Then she kept running her solo.

Melissa and the rest of the moms watched closely upstairs.

"I absolutely love Mackenzie's solo this week, because I like her doing cutesy dances, but I really do like that it is more grown-up. She's gonna be in the next age category starting next year. So it's good for her to start doing, you know, older dances," Melissa confessed as she watched her daughter sigh and glance up at the clock.

She felt sorry for her. Abby was being really hard on Mackenzie, and as her mother, Melissa knew Kenzie usually crumbled under too much pressure, and she didn't think a meltdown would help her at all with this replacement issue.

"Yeah, I think that Kenzie is doing a very mature solo and I love it, but Abby is being a real brat to our girls this week, especially Mackenzie and Kendall," Christi pointed out as Jill repeatedly nodded her head.

"Could you quit running out to the mirror so close? Think! Don't get so close!" Abby yelled at Mackenzie after she did three fouettés to a double turn.

"Oh my God, now she's yelling at her," Melissa managed to say. It hurt her that Abby kept the whole thing going.

Kenzie did a kick to the front and then when that leg came down, she pointed it out and ran her hand down it, and then brought it back up. "Down, cross, passé," Abby started. "Stretch your feet," she told Mackenzie, this time a little calmer.

"_Tell me, will it ever be my turn . . . to show the world I'm ready_?" She did a plié to four leaps in a row.

"So, Melissa . . . that song is definitely about Maddie, now isn't it?" Jill asked Melissa in her sweet accent as Melissa watched Mackenzie finish her solo and start working on her beginning pose.

"Yes, she's tired of Miss Abby always comparing them. I mean, she's not Maddie. She's Mackenzie," Melissa told the moms as Christi and Holly nodded at her.

"That's what I told her," Christi started. "When she had to do Maddie's old _Cry_ solo, I told her to get out there and be Mackenzie. Mackenzie's just as good. And it's better because she's her own special self. She doesn't need to be like Maddie or Asia," Christi continued as they all agreed but they were interrupted by Abby's yelling.

Apparently Mackenzie was trying to hit her beginning pose, but Abby didn't seem to like the way Kenzie was doing it. "What are you doing? Get off the stage. . . . Come on and hit that pose, and you'd better look . . . get off. And look at those judges when you walk out there. Stop. Stop. Get off the stage!" she yelled at Mackenzie again. Melissa felt like she should get up and confront Abby if she kept being so mean to Kenzie. She was trying hard.

"Wasting time," Abby said in a singsong voice.

"I'm sick and tired of going over and over things. Stupid!" Abby insulted Mackenzie, and that was the last straw. Melissa didn't mind Abby correcting Kenzie. She wasn't very fond of Abby yelling at her, but one thing she wouldn't tolerate was Abby publicly humiliating her daughter.

"And there she goes again . . . same like she used to tell Paige," Christi snapped as Melissa abruptly got up and walked down the stairs.

"Get back; hold that . . . can you do the—the . . . ? I don't think she can do it!" Abby stuttered, but ended up giving up as Melissa opened the door.

"Abby, don't you think you're being too hard on her?" Melissa chimed.

But Abby countered with, "Melissa, she can't even learn a two minute solo. How is she supposed to beat Asia? I know she will never out-dance Maddie, but she needs to focus and learn that solo. Cute is getting old." Melissa nodded at her.

"Mackenzie, go grab a drink, and when you come back here, watch Asia dance and learn from her. You need to practice that solo or I'm gonna have to pull it," Abby told Mackenzie. Mackenzie headed out of the studio as she started crying. Melissa pulled her into her embrace.

"Don't worry, Kenz! You're gonna do great, 'kay? Don't listen to her," Melissa comforted her daughter as she ran her hand down her back and patted it soothingly.

"But I'll never be li-like Maddie. Miss A-Abby wants to replace me with A-Asia," she gasped in between sobs as she started to cry harder.

Chloe and Autumn were bonding with each other as they heard Mackenzie cry. They both stormed out of the studio and found her crying desperately.

"Mackenzie, what's wrong?" Chloe asked her worriedly. Kenzie stopped holding onto Melissa and turned to face Autumn and Chloe. Chloe gave Melissa a "don't worry, I can handle it" look and slowly walked away from them.

"She k-keeps comparing me with M-Maddie and Asia and calling me stu-p-pid," Mackenzie stuttered as she kept crying. Chloe felt bad for her. She'd been through that a lot of times, and she knew how miserable you feel when Abby kept saying, "Maddie's first class—you're trash."

"Okay, Kenzie, we're gonna do something. We're both gonna walk in there and watch Asia dance, and then I'll help you go over your solo, okay?" Chloe offered. Chloe knew from her personal experience that what Kenzie needed at this moment was someone comforting her, believing in her. But not just someone . . . someone who had been through this. And that would be Chloe.

"But Chloe, what about your duet?" Mackenzie asked her.

"Don't worry, Kenz! I still have three days more to rehearse. You're more important than this stupid duet. I'm sure Maddie would think equally," Chloe told her. Kenzie smiled at the blonde as she pulled Kenzie into a hug.

"I'll help too," Autumn offered. Mackenzie reached to hug her, too. Then, they all walked into studio A.

Meanwhile in Studio A . . .

"Asia, you're doing a hot, sassy jazz routine. It's called _Sass Implosion_. Because you're like dynamite exploding on stage. You're a firecracker and not a crybaby like Mackenzie is." Melissa rolled her eyes as Asia nodded. She felt bad for Kenzie. Mackenzie was her friend, and Abby was being so mean to her. Asia thought she was fantastic!

_"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the precious one of all?"_ the song started as Asia kicked her leg and did a straddle jump.

"It needs to be more than a split," Abby explained as Asia tried again.

"Good. . . . Arms up!" Abby clapped at Asia as the door opened and Chloe and Kenzie came in.

"Chloe, what are you doing here?" Abby asked her as Asia stopped dancing and faced them.

"I'm here to help Kenzie. Autumn and I are helping her," Chloe explained. Abby looked at her strangely and frowned.

"Okay, but don't you dare make Maddie and Sophia look bad on stage or I'll replace you!" Chloe's face changed to a "whatever" expression and she and Kenzie sit on the floor.

"Okay, let's continue. . . . Crawl, crawl, dig," Abby instructed as Asia crawled on the floor and quickly got up and did a side aerial.

_"I think that I am sassy; I know that I am_." Then she did a fan kick and a triple turn.

"Your feet are so sickled that your knees are knocking," Abby snapped at Asia. She rolled her eyes at the instructor, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Asia finished her solo and Abby dismissed them.

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